Chris Antonetti Recaps Guardians-Rays Trade Centered Around Aaron Civale

The Tampa Bay Rays trade 1B Kyle Manzardo for Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Aaron Civale.

The Cleveland Guardians made their second major move before the MLB Trade Deadline and sent SP Aaron Civale down to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for 1B Kyle Manzardo.

Cleveland selling high on their best and most reliable starting pitcher of 2023 in exchange for a single prospect definitely raises some eyebrows. 

President Of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti sat down and explained why the organization felt moving on from Civale and bringing in Manzardo helps make the team better.

Obviously, the Guardians are still in need of starting pitching which is one of the reasons trading Civale is possibly a questionable decision. Antonetti clarifies that they hope Noah Syndergaard can help eat innings while prospects such as Peyton Battenfield and Hunter Gaddis can be useful as well.

However, Antonetti did not rule out calling up another rookie Joey Cantillo or even acquiring even another starting pitcher is not out of the question.

Based on what was said in this press conference, it appears the Guardians are not making moves before 6:00 EST on Tuesday. It will be an interesting 24 hours for the Cleveland organization. 

----

Read More:

Who Is Kyle Manzardo, Newest Guardians Prospect

Guardians Trade Aaron Civale To Rays

Terry Francona Makes MLB History As Guardians Beat White Sox

Why Oscar Gonzalez Will Be Under Pressure To Perform Immediately

Poor Performance Against White Sox Proves Guardians Still Need Another Bat

Be sure to stay locked into Cleveland Baseball Insider all the time:

SUBSCRIBE to the CBI YouTube channel

Follow Cleveland Baseball Insider on Twitter: @CBI_FanNation

Photo Credit © Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports